Patrick Henry's Mines Pledges To JMU
The do-it-all weapon for Patrick Henry (Ashland) hopes his versatility continues to serve him well at James Madison.
“I believe it is a strength,” Jayden Mines, who announced his commitment to the Dukes on Sunday told the Daily News-Record afterward.
“In high school, I’ve played a lot of positions,” he said. “My ninth-grade year, I played quarterback. In tenth grade, it was all wide receiver and last year I played a little bit of running back, so I’ve always played a little bit of everything.”
He also runs track and plays basketball, too, and said JMU coaches value athletes who play multiple sports.
JMU is recruiting Mines as an inside receiver and an outside receiver, he said. The school offered him a scholarship on Saturday following what Mines said he felt like was a strong showing during a one-day camp in Harrisonburg on Friday.
“I believe that the one-on-one period of the camp and seven-on-seven period of the camp took my performance over the top and grabbed their attention,” Mines said.
According to Mines, JMU initially reached out to him in the spring. His lead recruiters are rovers coach Eddie Whitley and offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Mike Shanahan. Early on the Dukes were recruiting Mines as a defensive back, he said, before his first visit to JMU changed their mind.
Mines said during that trip to a JMU camp last month, Shanahan asked him to take reps at wide receiver.
“And that’s when I got on their radar as a receiver,” Mines said.
He had scholarship offers from nine other schools, but selected JMU from a group of five – also including Army, Navy, Richmond and William & Mary – he considered most.
“But, JMU was always the one that I wanted,” he said.
Mines said he knows a few players on the Dukes’ roster already including freshman linebacker Jailin Walker and redshirt freshman wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. Both, like Mines, are from the Richmond area. He watched the Dukes’ spring season closely, he said, and was encouraged by the campaign Wells Jr. put together.
This past spring as a junior for Patrick Henry, Mines was productive in the running and the passing game. Over seven contests, he carried the ball 58 times for 225 rushing yards and three touchdowns, and hauled in nine catches for 106 yards and two scores.
He said he’s eager to play for Shanahan, Whitley and the rest of the JMU coaching staff.
“I felt from them that they’re more like a family than a coaching staff,” Mines said. “So, that’s something I’d like to be part of for the next four years of my collegiate career.”
Mines is the eighth commitment in the class and the third receiver, joining Burlington Township (N.J.) wide receiver Anthony Johnson and Northern Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.) wide receiver Terrell Timmons.